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 Clearing under Muran - Pol'ana pod Muran'om by evaanna | Reviews and photos of Vysoke Tatry attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Vysoke Tatry sightseeing. Vysoke Tatry Map |
 | Vysoke Tatry Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 58 |  |
Javorina is a tiny village around 3 km away from the Polish - Slovakian border crossing at Lysa Polana. The road goes down quite steeply all the way to the village so don't try walking with your heavy rucksack in the opposite direction to get to Poland. Take a bus instead. The local people mostly earn their living working for the TANAP, the Tatransky National Park, there is little income from tourists there. Only a few people let out rooms to tourists - look for the notice 'Privat'. There is a small shop in the village, which, like the post office, closed at 3 pm. when we went there a few years ago. There is also a bar, no village could do without it, which used to serve hot meals, but when we were there last, concentrated on what Poles, the most frequent visitors here, needed most - all kinds of alcohols, which are cheaper in Slovakia than in Poland. But they also sell other foodstuffs, so if you are back from a long hike in the mountains, hungry and thirsty, you can count on them. It used to be closed on one day a week though. Can't remember but promise to find out if it was Saturday or Wednesday. Leave a Comment Address: Javorina Tatranska
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The name of the village where we always stay - Javorina - derives from the mountain stream Javorinka which flows all the way from the High Tatras along Javorova Dolina past the Slovakian village Podspady and Polish Jurgow and joins the Bialka River on the Polish side of the border.
The Javorova Valley can be a good starting point for hikers who want to reach e.g., L'adowy Stit (the Ice Peak - 2627 m a.s.l.) and then go down to Smokovec. This trail will be described in a different tip.
As you leave the village walking west past the forester's house, fill up a container with the water from the stream - there are special spouts - no need to buy mineral water, the water here is pure and very tasty.
You won't see much at the beginning of your walk, the forest hides the views, but you can hear and at places see the rumbling stream on your left, with some rapids a little further. The road goes uphill but not much, real climbing starts a long way from here. On your left are also the Belianske Tatras, of which you will get a better view as soon as you reach the mountain clearing Polana Pod Muran'om described in my next tip. That's where the TANAP (Tatransky Narodny Park) begins and you may have to pay rather symbolic entrance fees if you happen to be there in the high season (July - August). In the picture our host selling the tickets on a bench there. Notice how many clothes he has with him in the event of a change of weather. He certainly knew what he was doing.. Leave a Comment Address: Javorova Dolina
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You don't have to be an experienced mountaineer to reach this beauty spot - the walk from Javorina, only a little uphill, won't take you more than 20 - 30 minutes. And the place is lovely, the mountains towering above, the spruce forest all around, the Javorinka mountain river at your feet. Here the road forks: if you walk straight on you will eventually reach L'adowy Stit (the Ice Summit), but it is a long and arduous hike. If you cross the wooden bridge on your left, the path will take you past a forester's house and on to Kopske Sedlo, another mountain pass. A matter of a few hours as well. But first explore the clearing at the foot of Muran and take a rest on one of the benches. You can have your lunch here on the tables provided or shelter from the rain sitting on one of them. Yes, on - sitting on the bench you would still get wet. Look around and you will find some raspberries.
The place feels safe and very private - hardly any tourists, complete silence except for the rumbling sound of the stream. But here, too, bears have been spotted. A mother bear with her young, for instance, better to be avoided. If you look up, you can see a cave in the rock - that is where chamois (kamziky) often find shelter during winter months. It is here that the National Park (TANAP) begins and you won't be allowed to walk any further if you happen to be there between November and end of June. The trails are closed to the public throughout the winter, spring and even early summer to let the wild animals breed in peace. Leave a Comment Address: Pol'ana pod Muran'omDirections: Walk along the Javorova Valley till you come to a bridge across the stream.
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If you choose the path on your left at Pol'ana pod Muran'om (the Glade under Muran), you will soon find yourself in a fairyland of beautiful lush mountain meadows with a wide variety of plants taking turns to flower throughout the summer. If you look up from your rocky path past the meadows, you'll see the spruce forest dotted with some leafy trees like mountain ashes which contrast best with the green of the spruce in the autumn (see the travelogue). Still further up you can only see dwarf mountain pine wood and to top it all just the rugged rocks of the Belianske Tatras interspersed with moss-like plantlife. This kind of landscape will accompany you throughout the Zadne Medodoly mountain valley, which will eventually bring you to the mountain pass of Kopske Sedlo. Leave a Comment Address: Zadne Medodoly, Vysoke Tatry
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This trail is a difficult one mainly because of its length. To get from Polana pod Muran'om to the pass directly beneath L'adovy Stit (the Ice Peak) you need at least five hours one way. The summit itself can only be climbed with a local guide, but even the view from the pass, called Sedielko (2372 m a.s.l.), is magnificent on a clear day.
As you walk to it along the valley for a long time you are accompanied by the Javorinka stream. Then the trail turns into a rocky path and starts climbing up, steeply at places, the spruce is replaced by dwarf mountain pine wood, later to give way to just moss in the higher parts. It gets cold even on a summer day, but you hardly feel it as the sun is burning your face. You are in the High Tatras! You feel free and on top of the world, but maybe also exhausted. Time to go back, another three or four hours. You can take a different route now if you wish. See my next tip.
For more pictures of this trail see the travelogue. Leave a Comment
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From Kopske Sedlo you can continue your hike to Zelene Pleso or Green Lake, where there is also a big mountain shelter Chata pri Zelenom in case you need a deserved rest.
You may choose to put up there and continue your trek , for example along the Zelene Pleso Valley (Dolina Zelenego Plesa) down to Tatranske Matliary, the next day. In the meantime, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lake. Leave a Comment Directions: For detailed information, consult your map or guidebook.
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As you walk on to the mountain pass of Kopske Sedlo, the rocky path becomes steeper and, as you get in and out of the wood, at one moment you come to a beautiful river gorge, with the river - or a mountain stream rather -on your right and the rocks towering above you on your left. Very picturesque but there is hardly enough space for you to squeeze through. Soon afterwards, the path reaches another glade with more benches and tables. Time for a rest before the most difficult part of your walk. Leave a Comment
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This is an absolute must-see if you are visiting Javorina. Standing on a hill just above the village there is a wooden manor house with hunting motifs built by Prince Kristian Kraft Hohenlohe, who became the lord of this estate in 1879 with the intention to live and hold his hunting parties there. To make them more interesting, he even imported some bisons, alpine ibexes and Caucasian deer, but they could not adapt to the new conditions so his project fell through. He sold his manor and land to the state in 1936 and since then the house, which the local people call a palace, has been used by Slovakian statesmen and other celebrities for representative and entertainment purposes. But most of the time it stands empty with just a caretaker living in it and is well-worth visiting for the wonderful views of the Tatras that it offers. We would often sit on its steps, with the wooden stag heads on the walls above us, watching the sunset. But when we arrived there this year we found a notice forbidding access to the manor. We did find a way though to see the view again without coming close to the house, where they have now installed CCTV cameras. Leave a Comment Directions: Turn left from the main road Lysa Polana - Javorina at the Kolovrat Hotel and drive or walk past it.
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The mountain pass of Kopske Sedlo is a place where a few trails meet. You can now either go back to Javorina, or continue your hike to Tatranska Kotlina, Kezmarske Zlaby, or Stary Smokovec. These are all long and at places steep trails, requiring good boots. My next tip will show you one of the most popular ones - to Zelene Pleso or Green Lake. To make things clear, the lake in the picture is still another lake visible from Kopske Sedlo. Leave a Comment
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When you finally reach the pass, you can admire the panorama of the High Tatras all around you. The views are stunning, that's what hikers come here for. In the picture you can see either Jahnaci or Kozi Stit, can't decide which one because they are close to each other and both over 2100 m high.
You'll find more views from Kopske Sedlo in the travelogue. Leave a Comment Directions: Kopske Sedlo
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on December 30, 2005
